Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising

 (2016)

A Review by Grant Kanigan

Directed by: Nicholas Stoller

Written by: Andrew J. Cohen, Brendan O'Brien,

Nicholas Stoller, Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg

Starring: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne,

Chloë Grace Moretz, Dave Franco

Rating: 14A

Release Date: May 20th, 2016

Zac Efron & Seth Rogen show off their six-packs in Neighbors 2: Sorority RisingImage Source

     Seth Rogen's new project, the sequel to the surprise 2014 hit Neighbors comes as an even bigger surprise. Sequels are a dime a dozen nowadays, tossed in the trash bin that is the local multiplex, and are rarely good. For every Godfather II or Spiderman II, there are countless sequels, reboots, and remakes that are void of wit, originality or entertainment value. Additionally, it's even rarer when a comedy gets a sequel, and the results are almost always the same; a too-eager to please cast in a stale, unfunny joke that's worn out it's welcome. The Hangover sequels, Anchorman 2, Zoolander 2, et al, were all DOA. That's why Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising is the rarest of all cinematic gems; a comedy sequel that's better than the original.

     Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising follows the ragtag couple from the first film, Mac and Kelly Radner, (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne), who now have a young daughter and another on the way. Free from the tyranny of Teddy Sanders, (Zac Efron), and his fraternity brothers that once lived next door, the couple have decided to move and upsize from their current neighbourhood. Simultaneously, the former frat brothers from the original film have moved on as well. One is an app developer, another a policeman, and Teddy's best friend, Pete, (Dave Franco), is engaged to a successful businessman. Teddy, on the other hand, still lives as if he's a fraternity brother, and, upon finding out Pete is engaged to be married, enters an existential crisis, which results in his meeting with Shelby and her friends. Shelby, (Chloë Grace Moretz), a freshman at the local college, wants to start her own sorority. All of the sororities on campus aren't allowed to throw parties, and soon enough Shelby discovers that none of the sororities in America are either, (which is an actual rule under the USA's "National Panhellenic Conference, which governs the country’s 26 major sororities"). Tired of the male-centric, machismo-obsessed, sexist parties thrown by fraternities that perpetrate a rape culture, Shelby and her friends find themselves in Teddy's old house, where he convinces them to start a Soririty; giving him meaning as one of the sisters, as well as revenge on the Radner's, who's house sale is trapped in escrow for an entire month. 

     Overall, it's an overly complex plot with too many characters, but somehow director Nicholas Stoller, (Neighbors, Get Him to the Greek, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), makes it all work. It's a testament to everyone involved, including the editors and team of writers, that no joke is too long, no exposition unnecessary, and no scene filler. Where another rare sequel gem 22 Jump Street was successful due to it's meta-modernist deconstruction of the sequel formula, Neighbors 2 succeeds by taking that well worn formula, stripping it for parts, and making a newer, tighter and smarter variation on the theme. Additionally, the idea to deconstruct the pitfalls of the first film was a brilliant turn - the sorority sisters in Neighbors 2 are effectively an antithesis to Teddy's frat bros in the first film. 

     While the main focus of the film is the Radner's coming to terms with their maturity and role as parents, the subtle feminist commentary throughout Neighbors 2 is a welcome change of pace, and quite refreshing. As someone who supports equality for all races, genders, creeds, etc., it's nice to see a film take the 'risk' of standing up for equality without sacrificing it's goofball humour or edge. Rogen might make an offensive joke or two, but that doesn't mean his character doesn't have a heart of gold; a portion of the jokes within the film might be offensive, but make a good case for the use of offensive language in the appropriate context. Additionally, it was refreshing to see Franco's character Pete turn out to be homosexual - simultaneously critiquing the 'frat-bro' lifestyle as unknowingly but extremely homoerotic - as well as showing that the treatment of Pete and his boyfriend is identical to how his friends treated Pete in the first film. It's an acceptance that doesn't even need to be addressed - for modern millennials, being who you are is a normal fact of life. Neighbors 2 is by no means a groundbreaking thesis on the importance for equal rights in American culture; but it's inclusion of small details is refreshing, intelligent and a socially conscious exploration of the importance of equality in the modern world. That's something I didn't quite expect from Seth Rogen; a guy who's laugh literally sounds like marijuana.  

     Overall, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising is a product: it was commissioned by the studio because the first film made a surprisingly large sum of money on a surprisingly low budget. However, that doesn't discount the fact it's made with effort, intelligence, social commentary, features great performances and is likely the funniest movie released so far this year. 

GRANT'S RATING: 4/5 STARS

Zac Efron & Chloë Grace Moretz in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising clip: "Frat Parties"